Upcoming South Dakota entertainment & events

Submit your events for The Dakota Scout's Lounge Section by emailing events@thedakotascout.com.

All My Relatives Festival

Friday & Saturday • July 7-8
Levitt at the Falls
504 N Phillips Avenue, Sioux Falls

In partnership with the Wokini Initiative of South Dakota State University, Levitt at the Falls is launching a new festival this weekend celebrating Native American music, art, and culture. 

The All My Relatives Festival will be a two-day event hosted at Levitt at the Falls and will include three mainstage Levitt concerts featuring Native American musical artists with strong South Dakota ties. The opening concert Friday starts at 7 p.m. and features hip-hop musician Frank Waln of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe performing with world-renowned hoop dancers Lumhe and Samsoche Sampson. NAMMY-winning hip-hop artist Gabriel Night Shield will be opening Friday’s concert and emceeing throughout the festival weekend. 

On Saturday, festivities start at 10:30 a.m. when Jackie Bird of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate will present a performance for youth and families featuring traditional dance as well as singing and puppeteering on the mainstage of the Levitt. 

Ending the event on Saturday evening at 7 p.m. will be a performance by blues-rock group Indigenous on the Levitt mainstage, opened by musician Kobe Jordan and his band.

All My Relatives Festival activities will be available in the parking lot behind the Levitt Shell and in the neighboring Startup Sioux Falls and Rehfeld’s Underground venues during the day on Saturday starting at 11 a.m. 

Brookings Summer Arts Festival

Saturday & Sunday • July 8-9
Pioneer Park
Sixth Street & First Avenue, Brookings

The 52nd Brookings Summer Arts Festival kicks off Saturday and continues Sunday in Pioneer Park. This annual event features over 175 juried artists who bring original fine art and skilled craftwork.

38 Food booths will tempt and satisfy the tastebuds. Visitors will find local favorites like chislic, pork sandwiches and onion rings, along with paella, egg rolls and buffalo burgers. The 30 Edible & Naturals area booths have packaged food and handcrafted specialties.

A nod to our region’s history comes alive by visiting the 15 Living History and 10 Antique booths. A lively Children’s Area is located in the heart of the park and features entertainment for the young and young at heart. Headlining entertainment located on the Pioneer Park Bandshell stage and the West Stage feature folk, bluegrass and Americana music.

Shuttle buses will be running continuously to Pioneer Park from the S.D. Agricultural Museum both Saturday and Sunday. The cost is $2 each way with the bus taking festival goers to the First Avenue side of the park.

No pets are permitted at the Brookings Summer Arts Festival. Listings of artists, vendors, entertainment schedules and more can be found at the Brookings Summer Arts Festival website www.bsaf.com.

Blood Run 5K

Saturday, July 15 • 7 a.m.
Goodearth at Blood Run

The Friends of Blood Run will be hosting its third annual Blood Run 5K Trail Run-Walk west of Granite in Lyon County, Iowa, on Saturday, July 15. Registration is at 7:30 a.m. at the Granite Mercantile building — 1114 125th Street, Larchwood, IA 51241 — in Granite and then we will travel to the Blood Run National Historic Landmark for the 5K run/walk event at 8 a.m.

 Along with 2023 Blood Run T-shirts, this year the event has added medals for first and second place male and female in age categories 18 and under, 19 to 49 and 50+. T-shirts are guaranteed for registration by June 30. Online registration for the event is at Friends of Blood Run under the Trail Run 2023 Registration dropdown.

Gene McGowan & Friends

Wednesday, July 19 • 7:30 p.m.
The History Club in DTSF
758 S Phillips Ave Sioux Falls

Gene McGowan & Friends will hold another jam session on July 19 at The History Club of Sioux Falls. It's a fun New York-style jazz club with cabaret seating. Up close and intimate, the show provides great music from the American Song Book. If you like straight ahead jazz of the great standards, you will love this.

The ensemble includes Greg Olson, Ralph Olsen, Michael Andersen and Gene McGowan.

Buy your tickets at https://www.eventbrite.com/.../gene-mcgowan-friends...